McDonald's fined following work accident

Following a work accident in which an employee was left partially blind, McDonald's has been prosecuted by the Health and Safety Executive.

The male employee was working at the Wandsworth Bridge drive-through McDonald's branch as a maintenance operative when the accident occurred.

He was attempting to clear one of the store's waste pipes which had become blocked using an acid-based specialist drain cleaner.

The cleaning fluid shot back out of the pipe and hit the employee in the face, causing severe damage to his cheek and eyes.

Despite being given immediate first aid on the scene, followed by hospital treatment for his facial burns, the man was left with scarring and just 55 per cent visibility in his left eye.

Following the incident, McDonald's was prosecuted by Wandsworth Council for breaching Health and Safety regulations and fined more than £20,000.

A Wandsworth Council spokesperson said, “McDonald's failed to carry out any risk assessment on the product being used, did not provide any protective clothing and did not ensure that the man was adequately trained and supervised.”

The fast food chain apologised for the incident, saying that their usual ''stringent safety policy" had not been followed in this instance.

A McDonald's spokesperson said, "We have taken steps to ensure that there would be no such repetition in the future."